Muslim Day at the Capitol

Muslim Day at the Capitol (MDAC) in California is the nation’s largest Muslim civic engagement event. In 2018, over 700 community members from across the state gathered in Sacramento to play a critical role in shaping policies that impact all Californians. Participants are able to speak to Assembly members and state senators about issues impacting them and their community.

MDAC participants advocated on issues in an effort to promote just, equitable and progressive policies within the state, which include protecting the rights of immigrants, setting standards for the use of force by police officers, and setting measures to prevent school bullying.

Monday, April 22, 2019 | 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM

$25 | Adult * $20 | Student

Registration includes materials, training, and meals

Deadline to register: Monday, April 15, 2019

Attendee under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian over 18 years.

This bill would redefine the circumstances under which a homicide by a peace officer is deemed justifiable to include when the killing is in self-defense or the defense of another, consistent with the existing legal standard for self-defense, or when the killing is necessary to prevent the escape of a fleeing felon whose immediate apprehension is necessary to prevent death or serious injury. The bill would additionally bar the use of this defense if the peace officer acted in a criminally negligent manner that caused the death, including if the officer’s criminally negligent actions created the necessity for the use of deadly force.

This bill would add the completion of a one-semester course in ethnic studies, in either the subject of social studies or English, based on the model curriculum in ethnic studies developed by the Instructional Quality Commission, to the high school graduation requirements commencing with the 2023–24 school year. The bill would authorize local educational agencies to require a full-year course in ethnic studies at their discretion, as specified.

Celebrate Our Achievements

As one of the nation’s most integrated and educated faith communities, American Muslims have an important role to play in our society’s social and political fabric.

The bill would require school districts and county offices of education to include policies and procedures relating to bullying and the prevention of bullying adopted pursuant to the Safe Place to Learn Act in their school safety plans. This bill would require the department of education to post the online training module developed by the department and an annually updated list of other available online training modules relating to bullying or bullying prevention.

This bill would require cities and counties that licenses businesses carried on within their respective jurisdictions to accept a California driver’s license or identification number, individual taxpayer identification number, or municipal identification number.

Authorizes police officers to use deadly force only when it is necessary to prevent imminent and serious bodily injury or death – that is, if, given the totality of the circumstances, there was no reasonable alternative to using deadly force, including warnings, verbal persuasion, or other nonlethal methods of resolution or de-escalation. This bill also establishes that a homicide by a peace officer is not justified if the officer’s gross negligence contributed to making the force “necessary.” If AB 931 becomes law, police departments can discipline or fire officers who use deadly force that is unnecessary, and in some cases, the local District Attorney could file criminal charges.

SB 31 (California Religious Freedom Act) CAIR Co-sponsoring: Passed
This bill would prohibit a state or local agency from participating in a federal program to create a database on a person’s religious beliefs, national origin, or ethnicity for law enforcement or immigration purposes. It would also prevent state and local law enforcement agencies from collecting information on the religious beliefs, practices, or affiliations of an individual except under certain circumstances.

SB 54 (The California Values Act): Passed
This bill would protect the safety and well-being of all Californians by ensuring that state and local resources are not used to fuel mass deportations and that public schools, state health facilities, and courthouses remain safe and accessible to all California residents, regardless of their immigration status.

AB 1318 (Safe Place to Learn Act) CAIR Co-sponsoring
This bill would require the department to assess whether the local educational agency has provided information related to the support all students who may face bias or bullying. Additionally, it would require the list to include resources that provide support to youth, and their families, who have been subjected to bullying or faced bias.

AB 2845 (Safe Place to Learn Act) CAIR Sponsored: Passed
The act aims to mandate that school districts provide school site and community resources for students who are subject to discrimination and bullying based on actual or perceived religious affiliation. The State Superintendent of Public Instruction of California would be required to publish and make available to students and their families, anti-bullying resources on its website for those who are subject to discrimination and bullying based on actual or perceived religious affiliation, nationality, race, or ethnicity.

AB 2792 (TRUTH ACT): Passed
In an effort to rectify an absence of transparency and accountability within the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) program, the Transparent Review of Unjust Transfers and Holds (TRUTH) Act was created to allow public oversight through community forums and access to ICE records through California’s Public Records Act (CPRA) requests. Local law enforcement assisting ICE would be required to provide a written consent form to detained individuals explaining their rights during the ICE interview process. They would also be required to notify the detained individual’s attorney of the individual’s anticipated release date.

SB 1286 (Police Investigation Transparency and Accountability): Passed
SB 1286 will (1) allow public access to investigations, findings, and disciplinary information on serious uses of force by police, (2) allow public access to information on police misconduct, (3) affirm an individual’s right to be able to track his/her misconduct complaints and monitor what the police department is doing about it, (4) allow local governments that choose to establish civilian review boards or appeal boards for officer disciplinary proceedings to have those boards hold open public hearings, and (5) give power back to civilian oversight bodies to effectively monitor police.

SB 178 (CalECPA): Passed This bill would prohibit a government entity from compelling the production of or access to electronic communication information or electronic device information, as defined, without a search warrant, wiretap order, order for electronic reader records, or subpoena issued pursuant under specified conditions, except for emergency situations, as defined. The bill would also specify the conditions under which a government entity may access electronic device information by means of physical interaction or electronic communication with the device, such as pursuant to a search warrant, wiretap order, or consent of the owner of the device.
AB 953 (Racial Profiling): Passed This bill would enact the Racial and Identity Profiling Act of 2015, which would, among other changes, revise the definition of racial profiling to instead refer to racial or identity profiling, and make a conforming change to the prohibition against peace officers engaging in that practice.

SB 828 (Anti-NSA Bill): Passed Prohibits the state or a state actor from materially supporting or assisting any federal agency in collecting data of any person not based on a warrant that particularly describes the person, place, and thing to be searched or seized. Makes evidence collected from warrantless data collection inadmissible in local or state courts.